ORLANDO, Fla. _ In a surprise move, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a Republican bill that would have prevented cities and counties from passing plastic straw bans, his first veto following the Legislative session.
The bill, HB 771, would have barred any local government from adopting or enforcing a ban on plastic straws until July 2024.
At least 10 cities in Florida have adopted such bans, and the bill would have also required a study of each of them _ not focusing on the environmental impacts, but the "data and conclusions" used in passing such bans.
"A number of Florida municipalities, including Sanibel, Ft. Myers Beach and Miami Beach, have enacted ordinances prohibiting single-use plastic straws," DeSantis said in a letter Friday.
"These measures have not, as far as I can tell, frustrated any state policy or harmed the state's interests," he wrote. "In fact, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has encouraged Florida residents, schools and businesses to reduce plastic straw use.
"Under these circumstances, the State should simply allow local communities to address this issue through the political process," the governor concluded. "Citizens who oppose plastic straw ordinances can seek recourse by electing people who share their views."
The bill irked environmental groups, which argued that sufficient evidence already exists that plastic pollution is detrimental to the environment.
Republican state Rep. Anthony Sabatini had proposed a similar bill that died in committee.
